Hardwick Post & Beam blog

Variety

2011-12-08T13:43:50+00:00

This week in our workshop we are crafting a variety of custom timber frame projects.

Walking into our workshop this week we have a variety of projects under way. In this photo the lumber on the left in the foreground is black oak for barn project in central Massachusetts. Lumber in the mid-ground is hemlock stained dark for the final stage of our timber frame and steel hybrid commercial project while in the background are hemlock trusses for a roof stystem in Connecticut.

Also in the shop right now are parts of an oak timber frame porch addition in New York state and a retirement lake house. On the design side of things we are working on prints for a 5000+sf post and beam house in southeastern Massachusetts and schematic design for residential projects in New Hampshire and Norway. With a dusting of snow on the ground this morning between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are grateful to have good and exciting projects in front of us!!!

Design Leader

2011-11-29T18:26:54+00:00

Hardwick Post and Beam seeks talented design leader to join our custom timber frame construction team

We have built our company over 30 years by building 100% custom houses, barns, and commercial buildings that perfectly suit the site, needs, and budget of our clients. We start every project sitting across from our client with a blank sheet of paper, ready to craft the right timber structure for that client. Design is where we start the conversation and it offers us a chance to build a good working relationship with our clients long before we first put saw to wood.

Hardwick Post & Beam is currently seeking a talented design professional to join our team as design leader. This position is integral to the design and construction process and collaborates closely with our sales staff and timber frame craftsment, as well as working closely with clients and other design professionals. More information on the Design Leader position is available here: http://hardwickpostandbeam.com/images/uploads/Design_Leader.pdf

Timber Frame Hybrid

2011-11-17T22:06:08+00:00

Farm stand project in process, Needham, MA

Volante Farms will soon have a dramatic new retail space at its Needham, MA farmstand. Volante farms is a beloved fixture in Needham, with a great location for selling their produce, christmas trees, and other farm products. They needed more retail space, and this project will provide it in abundance.

We are partnering with Sage Engineering on this 10,000 sqare foot timber frame and steel hybrid commercial building. The completed building will include true timber frame mortise and tenon joinery by Hardwick Post & Beam as well as conventional trusses, woodwork, and steel structure provided by Sage.

We custom cut the joinery for this frame out of large hemlock timbers sourced from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. For a finish we planed each timber and finished the corners with a rustic drawknife finish, in keeping with the barn style of the farm stand. Next we applied a custom mixed stain to the pale hemlock, giving it a darker look in keeing with the customer's specifications.

Finally we brought the timbers to Needham and erected them with a crane, fitting together the wooden joints and fastening them with sturdy wooden pegs. The completed central timber portion is a tall and vaulted space that feels like the central portion of a cathedral. Workon the site continues as the roof is put on, the sidewalls go up, and the steel and conventional truss elements of the project are integrated with the timber frame.

Stay tuned for pictures as the project moves toward completion!